Event

National Tour – Kuyken – Mindfulness (Perth)

This event has passed.
10 Oct 2022
09:00 am
- 05:00 pm
The Niche at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, 11 Aberdare Road, Nedlands, WA
The Niche, Aberdare Road, Nedlands WA, Australia
  • Willem Kuyken
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FULL DAY WORKSHOP

“MINDFULNESS (-BASED COGNITIVE THERAPY) FOR LIFE. ANCIENT WISDOM MEETS MODERN PSYCHOLOGY IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD.”

Presenter: PROFESSOR WILLEM KUYKEN

University of Oxford

“What are you going to with this one wild and precious life?”

A line from the poem Summer Day, by Mary Oliver


The COVID-19 pandemic has made us all reflect on this question. As we emerge from the pandemic, the question of living well in the contemporary world has become a more pressing question. It is the same question that has been a driving force for the development of mindfulness-based programs.

Hundreds of millions of people have been introduced to mindfulness through apps (e.g., Insight Timer, Headspace and Calm), books (e.g., Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World) and tens of thousands through face-to-face mindfulness-based interventions (such as Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy). This workshop will step back to take an overview of the demands of our contemporary world. It will explore the growing field of mindfulness and its applications. What have we learned from research, from developing and teaching mindfulness programs, and from our own mindfulness practice? How can we unlock all that we have learned to create a world without the devastating effects of depression, where people enjoy mental health and well-being and are resourced to meet the challenges of the next 50 years.


We will start by “unpacking” mindfulness, distilling its myriad meanings and offering a practical working definition. The workshop then sets out an approach to teaching mindfulness as a transformative, lifelong practice. It will provide a map and route plan for anyone learning or teaching mindfulness. It draws on the mutuality and dialogue between ancient contemplative traditions and modern psychology to provide a road map, compass and a set of foundational skills for life. More than this, it considers how these skills can help us to flourish in the midst of the challenges of the contemporary world. This synthesis of ancient and modern can clarify intentionality, offer an ethical framework and provide a novel perspective on what it means to be “the change we’d like to see in the world.”

The workshop is based on Willem Kuyken’s research program at the University of Oxford, the 2019 book, co-authored with Christina Feldman Mindfulness. Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Psychology and two forthcoming books on Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for life. Jon Kabat-Zinn has described these ideas as: “A tour de force that elaborates in exquisite detail–yet with utter accessibility and clarity–what mindfulness is and where it comes from, as well as its profound ethical foundation, clinical applications, growing evidence base, and potential for healing.” A large body of research is attests to mindfulness-based cognitive=therapy’s effectiveness in preventing depression, promoting mental health and in the latest randomized controlled trial, enabling flourishing.


About this event:

The workshop will include teaching, opportunities for discussion, small group work and mindfulness practice. Extensive resources will be provided.


Key Learning Objectives

  1. What is mindfulness?
  2. How can ancient wisdom and modern psychology together help us understand how distress and suffering are created and recreated? How can they help us understand how joy and well-being are created and sustained?
  3. How does mindfulness support the path from suffering to flourishing? Is mindfulness a technique or a way of being in the world – or both? How does it enable transformation?
  4. What would it take to reconceptualize secular mindfulness training as a transformative lifetime practice that helps people to live in the contemporary world – and more than this to shape the contemporary world in positive ways?
  5. What are the important questions around ethics and integrity for mindfulness practitioners, teachers and the wider field? What supports this inquiry?

Implications / Applications of Learning for Clinical Practice

The workshop is primarily for anyone teaching mindfulness-based programs. However, it will also be of interest to those who are learning mindfulness who wish to deepen their understanding.


Duration & Format

This workshop has 6 hours CPD, and includes morning and afternoon teas, and lunch.

Doors open prior to the 9am start, and the expected finish is 5pm.


References – readings

  1. Feldman, C. & Kuyken, W. (2019). Mindfulness: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Psychology. New York: Guilford Press.

Non-members can join now and take advantage of AACBT Membership for a discounted ticket!

There are limited early bird rate tickets for full members only for this event, and please note that there are no door sales possible.

Please contact info@aacbt.org.au for more information.


COVID Safety:

Please note, the venue will be following all relevant Public Health Orders and checking delegates as per their obligations. Density, and mask requirements will be in line with relevant government guidelines. As per all events, please do not attend if you are unwell.

If you are required to cancel your attendance owing to a COVID isolation, please contact us for a full refund or ticket transfer.


Images: supplied